Ogden woman, 99, still makes it to the gym: ‘I strongly believe in being active’
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- Erika Martin, 99, takes a break from walking the treadmill at the Ogden Athletic Club in South Ogden on Friday, Nov. 18, 2022.
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- Erika Martin, 99, walks on a treadmill at the Ogden Athletic Club in South Ogden on Friday, Nov. 18, 2022.
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- Erika Martin, 99, takes a break from walking the treadmill at the Ogden Athletic Club in South Ogden on Friday, Nov. 18, 2022.
SOUTH OGDEN — Sitting around isn’t for Erika Martin.
At 99 — 100 next month — she still makes it a priority to go to the gym, says it helps keep her going.
“I strongly believe in being active — that means mentally and bodily,” she said, taking a break from the treadmill at the Ogden Athletic Club in South Ogden. “I don’t really like sitting in a chair and watching television every day.”
She’s been a regular at the club for 27-plus years, since 1995, and is easily among the oldest at the gym, if not the oldest. Most Ogden Athletic Club exercisers range from around 35 to 45 years old, said Jan Carlsen, the general manager.
“She does more than most people in their 50s,” Carlsen said. “Always a good attitude.”
Martin — who will turn 100 on Dec. 27 — comes in maybe two to three times a week. Besides spending time on the treadmill, she also typically does some exercises on a mat and lifts weights. “It’s only 5 pounds,” Martin said.
Martin — who consults with her cardiologist on her exercise regimen — is the embodiment of health experts’ contention that exercise is important, even for seniors — particularly for seniors, perhaps. “It can prevent or delay many of the health problems that seem to come with age. It also helps your muscles grow stronger so you can keep doing your day-to-day activities without becoming dependent on others,” says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
For Carlsen, it’s just incredible, she thinks, that Martin, as a woman of 99, is as active as she is. She’s particularly in awe of how she manages the stairs up to the exercise area she uses. “I don’t have 60-year-olds who hoof it up the stairs,” Carlsen said.
Martin came with her late husband, Karl Martin, to the United States from her native Berlin, Germany, in 1954. She’s got a 74-year-old son, Ronald Martin, in North Ogden and for many years ran Erika Martin Antiques, an antique shop and art gallery that was located on Washington Boulevard in Ogden.
Outside of exercise, she doesn’t think she does anything different than most people that might account for her longevity.
“I don’t do anything different,” she said. She doesn’t smoke, she said, but on the other hand, she generally eats whatever she wants, doesn’t have a particular diet she follows.
But ask her about the rewards of exercise and she’s quick to answer. “I would encourage everybody who is able to exercise,” she said.